Thursday, August 15, 2013

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Local claims to have discovered legendary Japanese treasure

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 05:11 AM PDT

A local man in Burma may have discovered a massive cache of gold and jewelry that was buried during the waning days of World War Two – or so he claims.

Rumours of boundless buried fortunes have sparked romantic treasure hunts over the decades, usually resulting in spectacular failure. However, this time may be different.

A property owner in central Burma’s city of Zigon who was in the process of deepening a pond on his land found an unusual item in the soil, and immediately notified the authorities. Alleged geology expert U Soe Thein rushed to the site.

“I inserted an iron bar into the soil and hit a wooden box,” said Soe Thein. “The head of the iron bar was then stained with asphalt after piercing into the box.”

According to legend, the Imperial Japanese Army made off with a vast fortune of looted gold from the territories it occupied in Southeast Asia and Soe Thein claims that the Japanese were known to encase their spoils in concrete.

“Burying the gold with the protection of the asphalt is deliberate. It is obvious that the wooden box was elaborately made. The Japanese invaders used the same method to store gold in the Philippines”, he said.

However, new research reports that much of the infamous treasure stolen by the imperial army may in fact have made its way to Japan by way of the Philippines during the final days of the war.

Authorities reject UN envoy’s request to visit rebel stronghold in Laiza

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 03:20 AM PDT

United Nations Special Human Rights Rapporteur Tomas Quintna was forced to cancel a trip to the Kachin Independence Army's (KIA) headquarters in Laiza after regional authorities refused to provide the envoy with permission to visit the rebel stronghold.

According to the UN spokesperson Aye Win, representatives from the regional government failed to provide clear reasons why the envoy's request to visit Laiza was rejected.

However, Lamai Gum Ja of the Kachin State Peace Creation Group based in Myitkyina said the rapporteur was not allowed to travel to Laiza on security grounds and because the envoy did not receive the union government's permission.

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"[Quintana] was very keen to travel to Laiza as he couldn't go there during his last visit – upon arriving to Myitkyina, he approached the regional government for permission which they denied on security grounds," said Lamai Gum Ja.

"Then he asked the Kachin State Peace Creation Group to take him to Laiza. We would do it if he has an agreement with the government for that, but since it wasn't the case, he had to cancel the plan."

The KIA have been engaged in two years of bitter fighting with the Burmese military since their 17-year ceasefire with the government collapsed in 2011. More than 100,000 people have been displaced since the conflict kicked off in Burma’s far north.

In December, the government launched a massive dry season offensive against the rebel stronghold. During the assault, the Burmese military relied on airstrikes, helicopter gunships and heavy artillery to dislodge the rebels in what was one of the largest offensives launched against ethnic rebels by the government.

While the offensive allowed the Burmese military to capture several key outposts overlooking Laiza, the prolonged assault made international headlines and cast a dark cloud over the country's reformist government.

With increased pressure coming from western capitals and China, Naypyidaw entered into a new round of talks with the rebel group that has largely put an end to fighting. However, the KIA has refused to sign a new ceasefire with the government until they are granted great political rights.

While Quintana was unable to reach Lazia, the UN envoy did manage to meet with the KIA's liaison team in Myitkyina, according to Lamai Gum Ja.

The rapporteur arrived in Rangoon on Thursday and was set to visit the infamous Insein Prison.

The UN envoy arrived in Burma on 11 August for a 10-day visit, which includes trips to Arakan, Kachin, Shan and Chin states.

 

Three KNU/KNLA-Peace Union members killed during shooting in Hpa-an

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 01:17 AM PDT

Three Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council members were killed after one of the group's members turned his gun on two comrades before killing himself in eastern Burma's Karen state on Tuesday.

The KNU/KNLA-Peace Council's spokesperson Timothy confirmed the deaths and said the group is in the process of conducting its own investigation into the incident.

Karen state's police commander Sein Lwin said the KNU/KNLA-Peace Council identified the shooter as Saw Kyaw Nay Htoo who was also responsible for murdering two comrades, KNU/KNLA 709th Battalion's captain Bakyan and Htun Myint, on Tuesday morning near Bayingyi village in Hpa-an township.

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The group reportedly arrived in Hpa-an on Tuesday morning after attending Karen Martyrs' Day celebrations at the KNU/KNLA-Peace Council's stronghold in Kawkareit on Monday.

"They drove to a place called Wahphotaw in the area. They apparently consumed a lot of beer along the way and got very drunk," said Sein Lwin.

"Saw Kyaw Nay Htoo, for reasons unknown, shot captain Bakyan and driver Htun Myint in the front seats, then he got out of the car and shot himself in a temple,"

Second-lieutenant Hla Win, who was also travelling with the group, survived the incident and was unharmed.

Family members reportedly collected the bodies of the deceased from Hpa-an hospital on Wednesday.

State authorities have opened an investigation but may close the case soon because "the alleged culprit is now dead", reported Sein Lwin.

The police commander went on to urge the various armed groups in the region that travel with guns to be prudent in order to prevent similar incidents from happening.

The Karen National Liberation Army's 7TH Brigade's General Htay Maung formed the KNU/KNLA-Peace Council after he was sacked by the Karen National Union for entering into peace talks with the central government in 2007.

The armed group signed a new ceasefire with the government-backed negotiators in February 2012.

Burma’s ‘tallest man’ heads to Singapore for medical treatment

Posted: 15 Aug 2013 12:19 AM PDT

“Big Zaw” has known he was different since a teenage growth spurt sent him soaring above his neighbours in a remote Burmese village.

Now at seven foot eight inches he is believed to be the country’s tallest man, and a recent rise to fame means he can finally seek treatment abroad for the health condition behind his towering height.

“My friends call me Big Zaw,” said Win Zaw Oo, who at 233cm is significantly taller than the 168cm (five foot six) average Burmese man.

“I do not fit in an ordinary car. When the doctor brought me here, he had to hire a truck,” said the 36-year-old, who was given access to healthcare after a story about him in state media this year sparked a flurry of interest from reporters and medical experts.

He is now set to undergo surgery in Singapore for a pituitary gland tumour, which causes the body to produce excessive growth hormones, because the procedure is too advanced to be carried out in Burma, where the health system was left chronically under-funded by the former junta.

Win Zaw Oo, who left Burma on Thursday, said he was anxious about the trip.

“I have only seen a toy plane before, so I feel a bit worried about having to fly. But if it is for my health, I must do it,” he told AFP ahead of his departure, adding that he was concerned about the future costs of treatment.

His height brings day-to-day challenges.

Win Zaw Oo has gone barefoot for most of his life in his rural village in Magwe division, where his parents and three sisters scratch a living from growing peanuts and sesame seeds on a couple of acres of land.

"I cannot move quickly like the others do. I feel depressed about that sometimes"

While his family was able to make extra-large longyis for him, custom-made footwear was far beyond the family’s modest means.

His condition also means he tires easily and is unable to hold down regular employment, although he says he can help out in village construction because he does not need a ladder.

Shy but friendly, Win Zaw Oo attracts stares when he travels, but at home people are accustomed to him.

“We see him every day in our village… so we do not really think of him as being extraordinarily big,” said his cousin Than Htoo.

Burmese doctors said Win Zaw Oo appeared to have stopped growing, but that his condition carried future health risks.

“He needs to be cured,” said Myatthu Mynn, part of the medical team travelling with him to Singapore on a trip funded by private donations from Burma and Singapore.

He explained that the procedure, which usually involves accessing the pituitary gland at the base of the brain through the nose or an incision in the mouth, is too specialised for Burma’s hospitals.

Decades of military dictatorship in the Southeast Asian country left the vast majority of citizens without access to even basic healthcare, as the junta state focused on its military spending.

A new quasi-civilian regime took power in 2011, but medical care remains woefully inadequate.

Official figures show the state only allocated around one percent of its expenditure to healthcare in its 2011 to 2012 budget, rising to three percent in 2012 to 2013.

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Win Zaw Oo’s condition, acromegaly, which can lead to gigantism when it develops in puberty, is extremely rare.

Accurate data for Burma is unavailable, but Britain’s Pituitary Foundation said only around four to six new cases per million of the population are diagnosed each year.

It said health risks include “diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems with a reduced life expectancy compared to the normal population”.

Doctors said only one other extremely tall person has been recorded in recent memory in Burma.

Zee Kwet Sein, who is believed to have died in the 1970s, was left blind by her condition and her exceptional height saw her exhibited at fairs in the country’s central region.

Win Zaw Oo’s recent fame had led him to consider the possibility of a film career to help support his family, although he would rather start a business with his sisters.

But the condition takes its toll.

“I cannot move quickly like the others do. I feel depressed about that sometimes,” he told AFP, adding that he does not expect to have a family of his own but hopes medical care will secure his future.

“After the treatment is finished it will be enough to live my life, even if it does not change my appearance,” he said.
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